eastbound | audio | username: raven master

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audio | username: raven master

( Moaning, laughter, lewd innuendo — the fixtures of the House of Dew's channels. Until, a steeled voice cuts way: )

Tamaiu, if you please. Impress on your ladies the virtue of silence for the next hour.

( All too suddenly, betraying how often the mistress of the house listens in, the cacophony of sound dispels. He continues: )

Good afternoon. You’ve made rather a mess of things, haven’t you?

I made my first fortune in Sa-Hareth. Inevitably, through sales of salt. Now, this was before, when death was still a reliable constant, and trade margin weren’t unhelpfully eroded by the competition’s ability to deploy dead contingents that require no rest, no feeding, and minimal attendance while they operate the production line. I assure you, immortality is infertile ground for business.

( A moment, for amateurs to appreciate this economic downturn. )

At this time, I volunteer no name. You do not require it. Allocate me one as you please. I am a merchant, by trade. I am accustomed to a degree of discretion. But I have no guarantee that you would offer me the same courtesy in the event of your capture, and the ambitions of this enterprise frankly surpass you. It is of utmost importance that I survive.

It is of secondary relevance that you do the same. But my collaborators and I have allocated a not insubstantial volume of coin, sweat, blood and personal sacrifice to progress your escape and survival. The hope, the gain, and the only purpose of this operation is to remove you from Akhuras and direct you to pastures new. Any alternative allows for Unhalad, his siblings and their masters to utilise you in a war that has devastated our world.

( Another pause, measured. He is accustomed to the protocols of rhetoric. )

To be clear. You are not so naïve to assume our first efforts didn’t study the merits of your murder. We tested this on a batch. Regrettably, our enemies proved sufficiently apt to resurrect their captives and use them after.

We will therefore proceed with extraction. Some of the standing eastern portals still offer the possibility of transfer to other worlds. Although… most have not been tested in generations, and we may need to deepen our voyage east, if and when the beacons cannot accommodate us. The safety of portal transportation to your persons is candidly immaterial to us and remains your concern.

( Be that as it may. Another moment's hesitance: )

My part in this endeavour is to secure information on the portals and their location, along with facilitating transit, on occasion. You will contribute with coin, with labour, with discipline. Begin by assisting Haltham and Karsa as much as possible.

Now. If you attracted Unhalad’s attention, it is not unfair to assume you were all previously situated in a position of power. You are used to being heard, perhaps also heeded. Some of you may have commanded every room you stepped in.

Except for this one. I am master here. You are merchandise. I have no interest in hearing objections of stupidity, vulgarity or sentiment. Any other questions, proposals or comments may be submitted in an orderly manner.

( And perfectly civil once more: ) Tamaiu, if you please again. My thanks and regards to your ladies.

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[ He hates a lot of things about this. A lot of things. It makes the righteous fury rise up within him, and he breathes out slowly to smother it down. He did command every room he stepped in. And he will not let a mere merchant talk down to him like this. ]

So you treat the symptoms and not the disease. [ Flatly. Bluntly. ]

We will leave. [ As if he spoke for everyone, but, well, Prince-ing dies hard. ] But surely it would benefit you more if the means of bringing us here in the first place were destroyed? You speak of us being put in his grasp, but not how or why.

Men who are willing to use the dead to subjugate their people do not seem like those that would be greatly inconvenienced by our departure.

( A pause, mulling; extended. )

Agreed. On all but one point. Your pursuers will be inconvenienced by your departure, in that they will be deprived of their resource. The scope of this operation does not extend past that. But we entertain other enterprises. Some... more classically efficient.

We are trying, my king.

[ That made his blood run cold. Only one person in this land, he thought, knew of his past that way. Just one.

He didn't let his twisting feelings into his voice, just completely ignored the statement and continued as if he hadn't heard it. He could correct the man, but that would mean acknowledging it in the first place.]

Deprived for now. If we were not the first, we are unlikely to be the last.

[ His voice was hard, and cold, but he somehow was managing to keep the utter rage from spilling into it. ]

We are not ungrateful, regardless of your personal reasons to aid in our escape. And we recognize the difficulty we have caused. [ 'We' being a relative term, here. But he recognized it, and that was enough. ]

If there is a way we can aid you and your people - aside from our departure - we are willing.

[ Even if he personally kind of wanted to shove this guy in a lake, he was at least working against the guys who were raising zombies everywhere. Lee Chang just knew better than to trust him. Men whose minds were on profit were often swayed by it. ]

( A notable easing of his tone towards the first man who offers diplomacy. )

I thank your cooperation. There will be opportunity to enact it. In addition to ensuring your survival and transportation, we may need to call on you to assist with the recovery of others like you, or... now and again, with the elimination of the deathless... individuals who enslave our people.

Though I will not strain your loyalties by requesting too much, too often. This is not a charitable arrangement on either side, I am aware.

I do not consider eliminating the deathless or aiding rescue to be charitable acts.

[ He carefully kept his tone even - a statement, not a judgement. Despite the fact that he was judging pretty hard.

Beggars, as Master Lan had reminded him, could not be choosers. They needed the allies they could get. ]

So you may consider my sword committed.

[ Here, at least, he didn’t speak for the others. ]

These portals you spoke of. They will return us to our homes?

[ Yet more magic he barely understood, but at least he was grasping the concept at all. ]

They purport to. You will understand if I don't deceive you with the notion of certainty on this matter. The last reports we had of successful voyage, with return back to give testimony, was generations ago. Since then, there have been departures, but no journeys back.

( A break: ) In short, we know that the portals in the past did as I advise. But I cannot confirm their recent activity.

Generations ago. [ He echoes the words without being able to wholly mask his surprise. It takes a second, but he composes himself again and replies: ]

I appreciate your candour. Are there records of the last successful journeys?

Or known reasons for the disappearance of excursions there?

You all have a great deal of questions, don't you? You understand you are not owed answers? At least pretend not to jump on me like hawks on raw meat. One question at a time.

This is a conversation among equals. I do not owe you, any of you, a report.

[ He tries not to grind his teeth, and his voice is level when he speaks: ]

As a merchant of your caliber, I know you value your time wisely. I ask only what I believe will be beneficial to the cause that you have invested so much in.

The more I know of what is to come, the better I can execute the mission.

I appreciate you don't know my calibre. But flattery is never remiss.

One question at a time will suit the royal privilege.

[ Crisply: ] I command no such privilege here.

[ He's aware of his station and he's aware of what you are trying to do, stop trying to out him old man. ]

But as you will. Are there records of the last successful journey?

I imagine so, in one of the great learned citadels west. I myself do not have them.

I am not insensitive to your dilemma. Why commit to a procedure that may eliminate you out of existence, or deliver you elsewhere than where you intend to be? Truthfully... because you have no real alternative.

My commitment is not under question.

[ He knew better than to stay when they weren't welcome. ]

Whether the magic works or not, I understand the imperative. I cannot claim to understand how such a deed would work. I ask more to understand what may lay between us and them, in the meantime. In this world.

Do your interests reside only in this city, or do you have a vested interest in the prosperity of the lands to the east?

Shall we say, we are a network of collaborators, with broad vantage. Some of the partners reside east. Their help will be critical, as we navigate in that direction.

Unhalad's brothers aren't in Sa-Hareth. So, you see. This is hardly only a local pandemic.

[ Ah. That was what he feared, indeed. ]

I understand. So as we move, we will be able to make contact with these partners?

[ And yes, he already forgot the one question at a time rule. Or maybe he's doing it on purpose. Or maybe he considers the first question rhetorical. Who knows. ]

Will either of our current contacts be coming with us?

Apologies. Your... current contacts? Who, exactly?

Haltham and Karsa.

[ Sure, he hadn't spoken to Karsa, but Haltham had been chatty enough. ]

Those that came to release us from our bondage.

They are local affiliates. If they decide to leave Sa-Hareth, if they pay their way, they may come. But I would not require them to leave their homes.

And Ylva?

[ He still wasn't sure why he of all of them had been assigned a body guard, though after my king he was started to expect it was mockery. ]

Is she meant to accompany outside the city as well?

Your companion is a Sa-Hareth contractor. She may come, or she may opt against it. She is paid. Have you never negotiated the service of your attendants?

( Laughter. )

No. Of course not.

[ It grates under his skin, his lips pulling into a slight sneer, but at least this was over audio. ]

As her contract is not with me, it is reasonable to enquire as to the conditions that were set.

[ A pause, and then pointedly: ]

Loyalty is not something I have ever had to purchase, no. [ Even as he said it, suddenly he thought of Mu-Yeong. He stomach twisted bitterly, and he bit it back as best he could. Loyalty. What did he know of loyalty, beyond desperate men scrambling for their lives and corrupt officials happy to take anyone else's?

That said, he'd made up his mind. ]

I won't require her services.

Perhaps it's escaped you, but you are the least qualified individual of your entourage, which includes an individual not yet fully challenged by adolescence.

You require services. Whether they are hers, or another's, I cannot say for now. But, for the time, you will benefit.

[ The least qualified. He bristled, but didn't argue. He didn't know what the others were necessarily capable of, but he both knew enough and did not want to illustrate his ignorance. Thus: ]

I require those whom I can trust to consider our lives over coin.

I'm sure you can understand the caution.

...ah. Of course. I assure you, she was selected carefully. Her vendetta against Unhalad carries a personal note.

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un: dappled pearl of the parted seas [voice]